Thirty-nine 303rd BG(H) B-17s took off. There were no abortions. All aircraft were loaded with 500-lb. M-17 cluster incendiary bombs.

The PFF equipment on the lead B-17 of the 41 CBW-A failed. It then made a series of "S" turns before reaching the bombing "initial point." These turns were made in an effort to get behind and bomb on the 41 CBW-B formation. The maneuver was unsuccessful and the 41 CBW-A formation failed to get back into a correct Combat Wing bombing formation. The 41 CBW-A bombing results could not be observed because of the solid cloud cover.

Flak for the 303BG-A Group was moderate and inaccurate, but was accurate for the 303BG-B Group. Fighter support was excellent. P-47s carried the formations to the IP where they were met by P-38s. Twenty-five to thirty enemy aircraft were observed and the 303BG-A Group experienced one attack by five ME-109s. The 303BG-B Group had no fighter attacks.

The No. 4 B-17 in the lead Squadron "A" Group, #42-39786, G.I. Sheets 427BS-R, encountered a rough and frustrating mission. The crew crossed the German coast with a faulty No. 2 engine and was forced to feather engine No. 4. Just before reaching the IP it developed a bad oil leak. Unable to stay with the formation, the bombs were jettisoned and the aircraft was soon hit by German FW-190s. Hits disabled the oxygen system, the interphone and many of the flight instruments. They dove to lower altitudes to reach cloud cover and used the autopilot to maintain flight. The damaged Fortress was hit by fighters numerous times before Lt. Fowler was forced to belly-land his Fort in a Belgian field at Solre-St. Gery.

More info on this mission at the 303BG website

44 aircraft assigned to this mission: Completed Mission - 38. Aborted - 4. Spare, Returned As Briefed - 2.
42-5404 Lovell, James MacNaughton - Aborted Ld Grp; turned back at 0825 hrs b/c exhaust stack broke on #3 and engine had to be feathered.
42-31346 Knapp, Paul B - Ld Grp; dropped fifty parcels of nickles plus 6x500 GP on target.
42-37885 Lotz, William H - Aborted Ld Grp; turned back over Lutiexworth at 0922 hrs due to drop in pressure in oxygen system from 375 lbs to 225 lbs
42-39784 Covington, Royston Truitt - turned back at 1007 hrs b/c #3 was throwing oil and caught fire.
42-39809 Smith, Roger Clement - aborted at 1019 hrs due to pilot's illness; jettisoned bombs in the Channel

The briefed route to the Target was followed and bombing was done on the PFF A/C from 24,000 feet. Strike photos show nothing but clouds.

Enemy a/c were in the Target area but attacked other formations with no attacks on this Group. Flak over the Target was moderate, low and to the left of the formation. Lt. Hennessey, was hit by flak over the Target, dropped out of formation and hit the deck.

37 of our A/C landed by 1429 hours. One A/C is missing, Lt. Hennessey in A/C 42-3285 "Mary Ellen".

24 planes dropped on Frankfurt with good results. One plane, Hula Wahine (42-7578) piloted by 2/Lt Ernest Bruce, lost all 4 superchargers. Fighting off repeated enemy fighter attacks while flying 75 feet over Belgium, the pilot crash landed at an RAF base with 2 wounded crewmen.

In a continuous two-hour battle, beginning at Frankfurt, A/C 967 (Man o War), piloted by Lt. Burtt, was crippled by direct hits that knocked out two motors. Sgt. Wright was killed by a 20 mm. hit. His courage and spirit was an inspiration to the entire crew. With the third motor out, Man O War crashed in an English turnip field to fly no more. S/Sgt. Grubb (R/O) injured by fragment from a 20 mm. explosion, was the only other casualty.